Ice machinery.



H. D. POWNALL.

ICE MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. I916.

Patented Feb. 4,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET H. D. POWNALL.

ICE MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22. I916.

1,93,6Q Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' ere nrnr onnrn.

HENRY n. rownar-n or cannon, onro.

' ICE neon To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. POWNALL, citizen of the. United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for producing artificial ice. One of its objects is to provide improved .apparatus for producing clear and pure ice from raw water. Another object is to provide improved means to introduce raw water and air to the ice molds and to prevent impurities from freezing into the ice. Another object is to provide improved means to introduce air into the water in the ice molds. Another object is to provide improvcdmeans detachable from the ice, to introduce air into the water in the ice molds and to lift the ice from the molds. My invention also comprises certain details of [As illustrated in .Fig. 1, raw or undistilled form combination, and arrangement all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through a portion of a brine tank and its ice molds.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification.

' Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a combined ice removing hook and air conduit, detached. Fig. 4; is a sectional detail of the same.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the upper portion of one of the ice molds.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating amodification.

Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating an other modification.

vertical section of an ice mold illustrating another modification.

;The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiments of my invention.

water is supplied from a pipe (3 to the ice molds B-by means of main conduits 2 and branch conduits 3.

A represents the brine tank in which'the ice molds are mounted, and exposed through their side Walls to the action of cold brine or other non-congealingrefrigerant which may be cooled in thetank or circulated through the tank. The bottom 6 of the ice molds are located over openings 7 in the bottom of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 41, 19199), Application filed April 22, 1916. Serial lVo. 92,984.

At ,their lower ends the ice and are vdetachably bolted or connected to v the tank. bottom so as to be readily. removable for the purpose of renewing the ice molds when required.

A body of pitch, or material of like na ture, 9 is located in the bottom of the tank A and surrounding the lower ends of the ice molds to a point slightly above the bottoms of the ice molds. This material 9 is adapted to be introduced in a fluid or plastic condition to seal all joints at the bottom .of the brine tank and also so as to prevent the *refrigerant coming in contact with the ice molds at or below the bottoms thereof, to prevent as rapid, or as extensive formation of ice at the bottoms of the molds as along their middle sections: Cone or funnel shaped coupling members 10 are attached to the bottoms of the ice molds to afi'ord' convenient means to connect. the raw water conduits to the ice molds at a point where the raw water in the conduits is nol liable to become frozen, and to assist in directing any sediment or like impurities to drain from the ice molds. Due to "the sealing and insulating medium 9 extending slightly above the level of thebottoms of the ice molds the freezing is retarded at the bottoms of the ice molds so that the water in the coupling members 10 and for a short distance vertically above said coupling -members is not frozen, up to the period at which the ice is ready to be removed from the molds, as indicated in the right hand mold Fig. 1. E represent conduits for air under pressure located between alternate rows of ice molds within the, tank A and slightly above the surface of the brine in said tank. Projecting upwardly from said air conduit are a series of nipples 18 preferably provided with check valves to prevent the escape of air. F represents a series of tubes dependently supported in vertical position cen- 4 arms 12 seat flush with the upper edge of v the exterior of the tube F, the coupling 17 the molds in recesses 14 in opposite sides of the ice molds to support the tubes F in place. Nipples 15 at the upper ends of the tubes F and above the surface of the raw water are provided with flexible tubes 16 and coupling members 17 by means of which connectlon is made with the nipples 18 of the air conduits E, at the same time forcing open the check valves of said nipples 18 and admitting air from conduit E to tube F from whence it escapes at the lowerend and rises in bubbles through the rawwater in the .ice mold, as indicated in the left hand mold Fig. 1, thereby agitating the water during the major portion of the period of ice formation. This circulation serves to detach any air, gas, or solid impurities from the face of the forming ice.

When the forming ice has nearly reached is disconnected, and the freezing continued without air circulation until the tube F is firmly frozeninto the ice as indicated in the right hand mold of Fig. 1. If desired at the same time that the air circulation is cut ofi the unfrozen water in the molds may be drained off through a drain cook 20 and replaced with either fresh raw water or with distilled water, and the freezing continued until the tube F becomes firmly frozen in, and the core of the ice block becomes solid.

A recess 21 in the upper edge of the ice mold permits the passageof the outer end of the flexible tube 16 to the air conduit E, and enables said tube to be withdrawn from the ice mold with the block of ice.

the tube F.

When the ice is readyto harvest as indicated in the right hand mold Fig. 1, there is still a small portion of unfrozen water between the coupling 10 and the lower end of Warm brine is substituted for cold brine in the tank A whereupon the ice in all the molds in that tank, having reached the harvesting stage at the same time, are loosened from the molds and may be successively removed'bv inserting a crane hook admitted to tube F through into the eye 22 and lifting the tube F to gether with the cross arms 12 and tube 16, and also the ice firmly adhering to tube F. At the ice dump warm water or air is the flexible tube 16 in the same manner that air was previously admitted, which serves to release the tube F from the ice and permitit to be withdrawn and returned to the ice mold to repeat the freezing operation.

In the modification Fig. 2 the raw water is admitted to the ice molds through main conduit 24 and branch conduits 25 as required to fill or refill the molds. Tubes-F shorter than tubes F of Fig. 1 are employed to lift the ice from the molds. Air is admitted to the non-freezing lower central portions of the molds by means of separate may be withdrawn one or more times as may tubes D of less diameter than tubes F and which occupy vertical or nearly vertical positions alongside the tubes F and are connected to the main air supply tube as described for Fig. 1. The tubes F and D are detached from the ice after the ice has been detached from the mold. Any solid impurities accumulate in the funnel-shaped connecting members. 26 from which they be required through a waste cook 27 and replaced with a fresh supply of raw water. The operation is otherwise as described for Fig. 1.

In the modification Fig.6 I have illustrated a tube F of shorter length than the tube F which is firmly frozen into theice block so as to serve as a means to lift the ice block from the mold and have also illustrated a separate tube 31 ofsmaller diameter to lead the air supply through from near the top of tube F to the non-freezing POP". tion of the mold at the upper end of the coupling member'32. The operation is the same as described for Fig. 2 and thetube F and tube 31. are released by applying hot water or steam thereto after the ice cake has been removed from the mold using the tube F as a liftingv means.

In the modification 'Fig. 7 the lifting means may be either a short tube F 2 as illustrated in Fig. 6 or separate lifting hooks 33 hanging down along the inside of the ice mold and frozen into the ice. An air supplv tube 34 of small diameter is inserted in a 1100 nearly vertical position but not passing through or connected to the tube F where such a tube is employed.

' In the modification Fig.8 a short tube F such as illustrated in Fig. 6 may be employed to lift the ice block or separate hooks 33 may be employed as illustrated in Fig. 7 to lift the ice-block. An independent air supply tube 36 bent at substantially right angles leads vertically up one side of mold,

preferablyat one corner of the mold, and

its horizontal section rests upon the bottom of the mold and leads from the vertical section to a osition above the coupling member 37 where the" air is discharged into the water in the ice mold. The tube 36 is preferably soldered or otherwise attached to the ice mold and the ice block detached there- J from when removed from the mold.

With the air sup-ply tubes of smalldiam- 'eter illustrated in Figs. 2, 6, 7 and 8 I preferably employ air which has been sufliciently dehydrated to prevent the opening in the tubes being stopped and thus Tendered inoperative bv accumulations of congealed water vapor. This dehydration may be attained by cooling the air and precipitating the moisture before conducting it to the ice molds.

The apparatus herein illustrated and de.

at to said air supply ponduit above the surface of the-raw 'water In said ice mold to inject nacacae scribed is capable of considerable modification without departing from the principles of my invention. p Having described my invention, whatl a claim is: v

1. An apparatus for producing artificial ice comprising a refrigerating tank, an ice mold located therein and exposed through its side walls to the action of a refrigerant contained in said tank and provided at its lower end with a non-freezing section, a raw water conduit connected to the bottom of 'said ice mold, an air supply conduit located in said tank above the surface of the refrigerant in said tank, a tube suspended in a "substantially vertical position in said ice mold and detachably connected to said air supply conduit above the surface of the liquid in said ice mold to inject air into said nonefreezing section of the contents of said ice mold.

2. An apparatus for producing artificial ice comprising a refrigerating tank, an ice mold located therein and exposed through its side walls to the action of a refrigerant contained in said tank and provided at its lower end with a non-freezing section, a raw water conduit to supply raw water-to said ice mold, an airsupply conduit located tank, a tube suspended in a substantially vertical position in said ice mold and detachably connected to said air supply -conduit above the surface of the raw water in said ice mold to inject air into said non freezing-section of the contents of said ice mold. it

3. An apparatus for producing artificial ice comprising a-refrigerating tank, one or more ice molds detachablyconnected to the bottom of said tank, and exposed through their side walls above the bottoms of said ice molds to the action of a refrigerant contained in said tank, a sealing and insulating medium inthe bottom ofsaid tank surrounding the lower portion of said ice molds to a point above the bottom of said .ice molds to locally restrict the freezing operation at the bottom of'the-ice molds, raw water, sup ply and exit conduits leadingto the bottoms of therespective ice molds, an air supply conduit located above the surface of they refrigerant in said tank, a tube suspended in a substantially vertical position in each of said ice molds and detach'ably connected air into a non-freezing section of the contents ofsaid ice mold near the bottom a thereof. p y a At. Anicapparatus for producing artificia .ice comprising an ice mold exposed through "its side walls to the action of a refrigerant and provided at its lower end'with a nont-a'freezing Qswtion, an air supply tube susabove the surface of the refrigerant in said pended vertically within said ice mold to inject air into said non-freezing section of r the contents of said ice mold, a conduit to supply air under pressure to said tube above the surface of the liquid in said ice mold, and means to permit withdrawal of said tube from the ice mold ;with the ice adhering thereto when it is desired to harvest the ice, the interior of said tube being unobstructed with ice when removed from the ice-mold to facilitate subsequent release of the exterior of the tube from the ice.

5. An apparatus for producing artificial ice comprising an ice mold exposed through its side walls to the action of a refrigerant, means to circulate raw water to and from said ice mold during the freezing operation, an air supply tube suspended vertically within said ice mold to inject air into the contents of. said mold near its bottom, a conduit to supply air under pressure to said tube above the surface of the liquid in said mold, and means to permit the withdrawal of said tube from the ice mold with the ice adhering to said tube when it is desired to harvest the ice.

6. An apparatus for producing artificial of said mold near its bottom, a conduit to supply air under pressure to said tube above the surface of the'liquid in said mold, and means to permit the withdrawal of said tube from the ice mold with the ice adhering to said tube when it is desired to harvest the ice. j

7. An apparatus for producing artificial icecomprising a refrigerating tank one or more ice molds located therein and exposed through its side walls to the action of a refrigerant contained in said tank, said mold having a lower non-freezing section, a fresh water supply conduit connected to the bot tom of said ice mold, a main air supply conduit located'in said tank above the surface of the refrigerant in said tank, means detachably suspended from the upper portion of said mold to be frozen into the ice block to serve as lifting means in lifting the ice block from the mold, and an air supply tube leading from said main, air conduit to the lower non-freezing section of the interior of conduit located in said tank above the surtral non-freezing portion of said ice molds face of the refrigerant in said tank, means to discharge air under pressure into the detachably suspended from the upper porfresh water therein during the freezing opertion of the respective ice molds to be frozen ation.

5 into the ice blocks therein to serve as 1ift y In testimony whereofI have afixed my 15 ing means to lift the ice blocks from the signature in presence of two witnesses. molds, and air supply tubes leading from HENRY D. POWN F said main air supply conduit through re- Witnesses: masses in the upper edge of the respective f B. G. SCHWARTZ,

10 ice molds and terminating at the lower cen- Y E. Lmmn'r. 

